Things to Do: Singapore
Singapore is both an exciting and boring city to be in. It seems like a paradox but it is a very exciting city to be in if you are travelling through or a living there for a very long time - meanwhile if you are living there for a moderate amount of time, it can quickly become a bit lethargic.
There are still plenty of the great things to do in Singapore, once again I will break it down to What to Do and What to Eat.
What to Do:
Gardens by the Bay - A massive indoor garden display, and yes the place is as beautiful as it is in the pictures.
Merlion Park - It has one of the most iconic view of the city and the walk along is quite nice.
Gillman Barrack - It is a few warehouses that turn into a creative hub for artists to display their work. They often have exhibits for everyone to enjoy.
Marina Bay Sands - The most recognized building in Singapore also have a beautiful view of the city from the top. You will need to be a guest of the hotel to check out the pool but if you want to catch a glimpse of the sunset from the top you can also try Ce La Vie, there is a cover for entry but it covers a drink once you are up there - also a great place to go out in the evening.
St. Andrew’s Cathedral - The cathedral itself is not that impressive but if you walk to back there is a beautiful courtyard for a nice restaurants and drinking spots for you to chill.
Sentosa - It’s a manmade island but also the closest thing
The Southern Ridge - Beautiful greenery and park for everyone who likes to hike
East Coast Road/ Park - It is a cute place for a bike ride
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Night Safari - The zoo after dark (probably the only time during the day you want to hang out in a zoo in Singapore because of how hot it is).
Clarke’s Quay - The most touristic pub/ bar area of the city but it’s definitely worth a visit.
Robertson’s Quay - Located 10 mins from Clarke’s Quay is a more local pub/ bar area next to the river.
Tiong Bahru - Very under-rated neighbourhood but full of history and cute cafes.
Vivo City - Shopping mall with a great sunset view of the Sentosa island
Orchard Road - Shopping district of Singapore. If you want to as many Louis Vuitton stores on one street as Starbucks, this is the street.
Keppel Island - This is mainly a residential area but the evening view when you walk through the bridge is quite spectacular.
What to Eat:
Bak Kut Teh - This is a very traditional Singaporean Chinese soup dish. My recommendation would be try it at any of the Song Fa Bak Kut Teh restaurants.
Laksa
Fish Bee Hoon
Hokkien Mee
Chicken Rice - Hainanese Chicken Rice is your classic Singaporean food. The rice is very fragrant, and a bit fatty but super yummu.
Carrot Cake (Chai Tow Kway) - It is a savoury dish, I would recommend a try as it has the consistency of dough and sticky rice
Oyster Omlette - This is a bit different than the Taiwanese version as there is less starch in this version, both uniquely great.
Roast Duck/ Roast Meat - This is traditionally a Cantonese dish, but this great in hawker
Kaya Toast - Okay, this may seem like two piece of bland toast but I can assure you it is anything but bland. Kaya is a type of jam that is uniquely South-East Asia, and will rock your world. Maybe I’m over selling it, but I still remember my friend gave us some his Kaya toast to try and we were all like O_O what did we just try. It is definitely a great flavour to try.
Satay - It is skewered meat on a “bbq”, but the best part is a sauce. Nothing like a cold beer and satay on a Singaporean evening with friends. I would recommend evenings on the front street of Lau Pa Sat.
Durian - It is the king of fruits and some members of my family would claim that it is the best fruit and flavour in the world (my cousin will always go for Durian flavour desserts if it is an option). I, however, don’t feel the same way and probably will never develop sophisticated enough taste palette to enjoy it.